Star Gazing
by KathrynDWrites
Summary: Marinette loves Adrien, who is Chat Noir, who loves Ladybug, who is Marinette. But neither of them knows. What will happen when Chat starts to fall for Marinette? And how will they handle it when she begins to feel the same? And what will they do about Adrien's failing relationship with his father? Mature themes, no smut. Aged up (15-16) I have no chill.
1. Chapter 1

"Alright class, the end of the quarter test is coming up on Friday. That gives you two days to prepare. You will split into groups of four to study. You'll have the rest of class to prepare but I suggest you meet up outside of class to go over the course material together." The teacher states, having to raise her voice toward the end to be heard over the sudden chatter in the room.

"Okay Adrien! You can pair up with me. It'll be so nice to cuddle up on my couch to 'study'." Chloe purrs over Adrien's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his in a vice like grip.

"No Chloe, I will be picking the groups." The teacher says as she looks down at the premade list of groups.

"Oh humph. That sucks; it would have been so fun. Don't you think Adrikens?" Chloe murmurs as she flutters her eyelashes at him, far too close for comfort. "Ummm, I guess…" he mumbles as he carefully pries her arms off of him, trying not to hurt her feelings as he forces some distance between them.

"Group 1 will consist of Chloe, Ivan, Kim, and Sabrina. Group 2 will be Rose, Jekula…"

Adrien's attention is caught by Chloe's abrupt, and high pitched, scoff. "I don't want to be in that group. How about we work together outside of the group Adrien? You can come over to my place and we can study… or not…" she purrs at him, leaning across the edge of his desk seductively. At least, that's what he thought she was going for. She was constantly making passes at him and never seemed to see how uncomfortable it made him. He just doesn't like her like that.

"…Adrien, and Marinette. Alright everyone, get into your groups and get started."

Adrien quickly turns away from the now seething Chloe, confused at her anger but glad to have a reason to be away from her. She was always so pushy about her feeling for him; even though he was sure she only wanted him because of his status as a model. That was all anyone ever seemed to want him for. He was just a piece of arm candy to most people. Well, except for his friends.

He smiles as he looks up to see the flushed and grinning Marinette. She was giggling and shushing Alya about something she had said. He only caught the tail end of their whispered conversation. "-if he heard you?! Oh my god, I would die!" she groans, squeaking a little when she realizes he is looking at her.

He had to admit, she is really cute. Her long black hair frames her face in a flattering way and compliments her light complexion well. The pigtails are cute, if a bit childish, but they seem to fit her personality. Her eyes are the most amazing shade of blue. Staring into her eyes is like staring out across the Caribbean, the blue ocean an almost turquoise hue. They actually remind him of someone else, though he can't quite place who or why looking into the shy girls eyes makes his chest constrict in the most pleasant and painful way.

"Dude!" Nino exclaims, as if this wasn't the first time he had tried to get Adrien's attention. "Are you okay man? You were kinda staring a little there."

"I was? I was just stuck in thought I guess. Sorry Marinette… he turns back to look at her as he apologizes to see her staring at her hands with a face the color of strawberries. "I-i-its o-okay, I-uh-I-I barely even no-noticed…" she stammers out, proving that not only had she noticed but it had made her incredibly uncomfortable.

She had always been that way around him though. He would try to talk to her but she would turn red and stammer or just straight up run away from him. He just doesn't understand why she doesn't like him as much as other people in their class. She was always talking and joking with other people, taking charge when other people didn't know what to do. She always seemed so confident and sure of herself until he tried to talk to her. At first he had thought it was his father and fame that intimidated her, but seeing how she reacted to Chloe all the time knocked that option off his list. She was a mystery, one he is surprisingly interested in solving.

"Okay, seriously dude. It's been it's been like 5 minutes. Would you please get your head out of the clouds and help us come up with a study plan? We kinda can't do this without you, especially when none of us really understand physics that well." Nino shakes him out of his thoughts again, trying to keep his cool but obviously a little ticked off at Adrien's distracting thoughts.

"Ah-yeah, sorry Nino… so what do you guys need help with? I'll do my best to help but I'll admit that I'm falling behind in this class too." Adrien says, rubbing the back of his neck to try to keep from showing his embarrassment at being caught thinking about Marinette again.

"If you're falling behind then we are all in trouble." Ayla exclaims with her head in her hands, on the edge of freaking out.

"I'm sure we'll be okay guys! It's hard but I'm sure that if we buckle down and study hard we can do this!" Marinette practically yells, pumping a fist and staring each of them in the eye to show her determination. Adrien's heart falls a bit when she turns to look at him and almost immediately looks down at her notes, redness filling her cheeks the instant they catch eyes.

"You know what? You're right Mari! We can totally do this; all we gotta do is make a plan. Alright, so… how do we make a plan?" Nino's enthusiasm falters instantly.

"How about we pool all of our notes and quizzes to compare and go from there? That way we should have everything pretty much covered for the test." Adrien offers, looking at his friends and settling finally on Marinette's face. "Don't you think?" he asks her quietly.

She nods her head at him, meeting his eyes for only a moment before reaching for all her notes and past quizzes. He watches her curiously as she collects her things, shuffling around her papers and slowly shaking her head. He watches her hair swish back and forth, mesmerized at how it swishes past her eyes. He's so deep in thought, trying to figure out who she reminds him of, that her question surprises him enough to make him jump.

"Adrien, arent you going to follow your own advice?" she asks timidly, concern evidently her distractingly familiar yes.

"Yeah! Sorry, I was just-uh-planning out a possible study schedule. Ummm… we could maybe meet after school today and tomorrow?" he asks, trying to cover for his continuous blunders.

"I'm free; if you two are we could meet up in the library? Or maybe go to a café to study? At least there we could snack if the session takes too long." Nino looks back and forth between the two girls.

"If-if you want we could ju-just go to my house…? My parents would probably give us snacks for-for free and it would be a lot quieter… we could also study later if needed, the-uh-the library and café would eventually cl-close." Marinette offers, hopeful and nervous at the same time. Adrien found himself wondering again why she was always so shy around him. This study group may be the perfect opportunity to dissolve whatever barrier it was that kept her so uncomfortable around him.

"That sounds perfect! Are you sure your parents will be okay with all of us coming over for so long? This could take a couple hours." Adrien asks, giving her what he hopes would be seen as a reassuring and calming smile. It doesn't seem to work though, she only gets redder in the face and averts her eyes again before saying, "I-I'm sure. My-my parents are always happy when friends come over to visit… especially when it's someone other than Ayla." She finishes with an exasperated voice, throwing a stern glance over her shoulder at her best friend.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're always begging me to come over. Don't blame me me for being so loveable that you can't live without me." Ayla retorts, throwing a smug smile back.

"Oh whatever! I hardly even ask you to come over! You just show up sometimes to bug me into hanging out and stealing cookies." Marinette shoots back, looking quite high and mighty/.

"Why I never! I just know that if someone doesn't show up from time to time you'll go completely bonkers. Face it, I keep you sane." The girls stare at each other unflinchingly for a couple seconds before breaking down in a fit of giggles.

Yet again, Adrien catches himself staring. Something about Marinette is just so intriguing… familiar. He watches her for a few seconds, almost grasping the memory of someone she resembles. Just as he is about to grasp the memory, shimmering at the periphery of his consciousness, the bell rings. And just like that, it's gone.

Everyone jumps up, making their way out of the room as quickly as possible so as to stretch their lunch break as long as they possible could. He leaves the room trying to bring back whatever it was that he had been so close to, but it seems to be gone for good.

"Giirrrl! What is up with you and Adrien today? He couldn't keep his eyes off you!"Alya yells, overly excited for her friend.

"I don't know… nothing has really changed. Was he really staring at me?" Marinette asks, cheeks red and heart full of hope. Adrien was staring at her? Why? Is he starting to see her in a more-than-friendly way? Her heart starts pounding and her face may break if her smile gets any larger. But she has to stay calm. She can't let herself get too carried away. After all, she's just Marinette. There isn't anything special about her, at least not while she's Marinette. As her alter ego though… well, that doesn't matter. She would never be able to really interact with Adrien as Ladybug.

She shakes her head, trying to dislodge her negative thoughts. Coming back to reality, she settles her eyes on the beautiful, golden haired teen across the courtyard. He's laughing with Nino, shining like the sun. Looking at him is like looking at the sunrise. So beautiful you can't look away but so bright it almost hurts. He is just so perfect. Kind and smart, quick to defend others but never mean enough to make anyone upset. Perfectly mannered and graceful under pressure. And he is never caught making horrible puns. She can't help but compare him to the only other important teen to her, her partner. Chat Noir, her super hero sidekick whom she loves dearly… just not like that.

He obviously has feeling for her, though she doesn't take them overly seriously. All he ever does is flirt, even when he's not talking to her. The few times he had run into her not in her super hero costume, he had flirted so hard. She couldn't take his words seriously because of that, he probably flirts with every girl he meets.

But she has to admit that he has good points too. He is smart and kind, even funny sometimes even if most of his jokes are cringe worthy. And he is attractive. Fair features and an athletic build, though a bit thin like he doesn't eat enough to keep up with his activities as a superhero. And he has an easy confidence, not the cocky attitude he has sometimes, but the confidence that comes from knowing exactly what you want. He can be over the top sometimes but he is always just a bit irresistible when it's just the two of them. Luckily, he never pushes her for anything because if he did she would eventually fold. As hard as she tries, it can be hard to remain professional around him.

Lately, she finds herself comparing Chat to Adrien more and more often, there are a startling number of similarities. Their hair, and their easy confidence, something she is sure Adrien has learned from years of fans fawning over him. But it's similar all the same. There is also the small coincidence of Adrien disappearing just before Chat Noir shows up every time. Not that it proves anything; most people disappear when an akuma shows up.

No matter the similarities, Marinette knows they aren't the same person. Adrien is too sophisticated and her partner is too… Chat. Ayla has broached the subject before, having even made a photo shopped picture of Adrien look like Chat, but it just couldn't be. There is no way.

"Marinette! Earth to Marinette."

"What?" snapped back to reality, Alya's face coming into view.

"Wow, you were really deep in thought there. Geez girl, you need to stay in this world. Now, as I was trying to say. Shouldn't you maybe go clean up your room before the guys come over after school? I mean, if you don't mind your crush seeing his face plastered all over your room…" Ayla trails off knowingly.

With a sharp yelp, Marinette jumps up and quickly gathers her stuff off of the bench. She runs off home, yelling a quick thank you over her shoulder as she goes.

Once home she sprints past her parents with a gasped hello. She whirls around her room, pulling pictures of Adrien off her walls. Tikki pops out of her purse, her tiny face full of amusement. "You were almost in a bit of trouble there. It's a good thing Ayla is able to keep her head, unlike someone I know…" she giggles as her out of breath chosen rushes around her room.

"Oh shush. I would have thought of it… eventually." She finishes, grimacing at her own thoughtlessness. After a few minutes of scrambling, and a few falls due to getting ahead of herself, she finally has all the photos and posters put away safely. All she has to do now is fix her computer background and then she can relax.

"Marinette, how are you going to focus on studying for this test when you can't even remember your own name when Adrien is around?"

"I can so remember my name around him! It just takes me a bit longer to say it when he's in the room. I can keep a straight line of thought; I just can't necessarily say it."

She sits in her room for a few more minutes, thinking about Adrien. He had been looking at her a lot that day. With a strange look on his face, it reminded her of Chat just a bit. Eyes wide, mouth open a little with a ghost of a smile on his lips. It's the same look Chat gives her just before he tries some crappy pickup line. Maybe Adrien was thinking about… no, there was no way. First off, he's not the type to use cheesy pickup lines. He's far too mature. Secondly, even if he did there is no way he'd be using them on her. As much as she likes him and wants to be with him, he is too good for her. He is way out of her league.

"Stop it!" Tikki yells all of a sudden. Her tiny fists are balled up in fury. "I know what you're thinking and no, he is not too good for you. You're amazing Marinette and he should count himself lucky that you even looked at him twice." Seething, the tiny creature gets in Marinette's face.

"Wh-what? I wasn't thinking that. I-I was thinking about studying and the upcoming test. Yeah, I'm gonna have to study really hard to pass. Long sleepless nights and… okay, so I was thinking that, but only because it's true. How did you know? Can you read my thoughts now?" she jokes, trying to calm the kwami down.

"It's written all over your face. Now listen to me, you are one of the best people I have ever met. You're amazing, talented, smart, kind, funny, brave, and a bunch of other good things that I can't even think of because I'm so mad at you. Stop doubting yourself. You deserve the world."

"Do you really think so Tikki?" Marinette asks quietly.

"I know so Marinette! You are amazing and if he doesn't realize that then it's his loss." Tikki nods with finality.

"Thanks Tikki, you're right! I'm gonna knock his socks off tonight. I'll be calm and collected and he will fall for me for sure. He won't even know what hit him."

With this she grabs her backpack and heads down to tell her parents the plan for that night. With a hug goodbye and a couple cookies for Tikki and Ayla, she heads back to school with a heart full of confidence and hope.

Adrien stretches as the final bell rings and school is dismissed for the day. He had called Nathalie during lunch to let her know that he would be home late because of a group project. Not a total lie, just a bit of a stretch of the truth. He is being depended on by classmates for a grade, the fact that they aren't being graded together doesn't really matter.

He is a bit nervous though, the thought of being in Marinette's house gives him butterflies. Not because he has feeling for her but because he feels a bit awkward around her. She has always been so skittish around him and he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable in her own house. Well, that and he has been caught looking at her a couple more times throughout the day. He still doesn't even know why.

Pouring over these thoughts and trying to calm himself, he collects his things and makes his way toward the front door to wait for Nino and the girls. "So dude, are you gonna tell me what's going on with you today?" Nino looks at him with interest, obviously trying to stay calm and hold back his excitement. Obviously, Adrien likes Marinette. Or so Nino seems to think.

"What do you mean? Nothing's going on with me."

"Don't even man! You were staring at Marinette all day. You didn't even try to hide it. I thought she was gonna have a heart attack… do you like her?" Nino asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Well, no. I don't like her like that… she's a friend, that all." He shrugs, watching the girl in question talk animatedly with Alya on the second floor.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. I know better, you're still staring now. Seriously man, you've got it bad. Nino states matter-of-factly with a smug smile in place.

"Come on Nino! I mean, sure she's cute. And she's really nice and funny and all but… you know how she is around me, she can barely even talk. I make her uncomfortable somehow. And anyway, I kind of like someone else…" he trails off, thinking about his lady.

"Really? Who?" Nino asks, interest piqued.

"Ummmmm… I'm not telling. You'd laugh at me." Adrien replies with a shy smile. No one would ever understand. He loves "ladybug but telling people that as Adrien would just make him sound like a fanboy. After all, how could Adrien Agreste, famous model, personally know the masked superhero and savior of Paris, Ladybug. It's not like he could tell people he is Chat Noir.

"It's Ladybug isn't it? You are such a fanboy…" Nino tsks and shakes his head. Adrien sighs, neither confirming nor denying Nino's assumption. He knew his friend wouldn't understand.

"What is taking those two so long?" Nino sighs in frustration.

"You just want to spend more time with Ayla."

Nino rounds on Adrien, eyes bulging and mouth open in disbelief. "What?! I do not, I-uh-I just want to get started studying. I am super focused on getting an A is all." He exclaims.

"You aren't fooling anyone. You always get so excited to see her and you smile like a fool when she talks to you. Lie to yourself all you want but you can't lie to me. You like her." Adrien finishes smugly.

Nino sputters for a second, ready to retort, when they hear a voice. "Who does he like?" spinning around, Nino finds himself face-to-face with the very girl. Ayla stands there, waiting expectantly for an answer. "Oh-uh… no-no one. Umm… we were just-uh-talking about a … video game?" She turns to Adrien in the hopes of getting an answer from him only to find him looking at Marinette again.

She is turned away from them, standing off to the side on the phone and rummaging through her purse. Every couple of seconds she throws a glance his way, turning a slightly deeper shade of red before turning back around.

Worried something is wrong, Adrien makes his way over to her, concerned by the tense way she is holding her shoulders. "…coming to my house, I can't believe it! What if I make a fool of myself in front of him? I would-"

"Marinette, is everything okay? You look kind of upset… is something wrong?" he asks. She spins around at the sound of his voice, hand going to her purse protectively as she takes a step back and turns bright red. Does she think he is going to steal her purse?

"E-everything is f-fine. We sh-should get going. Umm, my parents are-uh- making some snacks for us to eat while we study. Do you-uh-have everything together? That you-you need for… the… studying?" she looks so uncomfortable. Why? What did he do?

"Yes, I've got everything. Are you ready to go?"

She nods mutely, giving him a timid smile before practically sprinting out the front door of the school. She comes back in a few seconds later to grab Alya and Nino before waving for him to follow and rushing out again.

After a brisk walk, brisk meaning half jogging, they make it to her parents bakery. Adrien had only been there a few times before and he is still taken by the feeling of the building. It feels so warm. Not in the literal sense, it just that it seems like a happy and… warm place.

A small bell tinkles as she opens to door and the smell of freshly baked bread fills the air around him. "Is that you Marinette?" a deep voice calls from behind a door in the back. A large man steps out, beaming a vibrant and gleeful smile at the blue eyed girl. "Yes, it's me papa. You remember Nino, Alya, and Adrien. "She steps out of the hug her father had pulled her into to gesture to her friends. Adrien is struck again at just how large her father is. Not only in height, the man looks like he can lift a car like it's nothing.

"Hiya kiddos, nice to see you all again. Especially you Adrien, we don't get to see you often enough. It's nice to have you back again. Go ahead upstairs and make yourselves comfortable. I'm sure Sabine will be up soon with some snacks for all of you. If there's anything you need, feel free to call down." Her massive father finishes as he ushers them upstairs, throwing a wink at Adrien and chuckling to himself as he makes his way back to the register to check out a customer.

Perplexed by the wink, not knowing what it meant or why it had been directed at him, Adrien makes his way upstairs. Ayla and Marinette chatter ahead of him and though he can't make out everything they're saying, he does hear his name once or twice.

Her house is just as nice as he remembers, cozy and definitely hers. Neat and a bit eclectic, pink cushions and curtains everywhere. "Nice, isn't it? A bit pink for my taste but fitting for her. She disappeared for days a few months ago to do all this." Nino nods toward Marinette.

"What do you mean? Did she have to leave town to find all this or… oh. She made all this?" grabbing a frilly pillow off the chair closest to him, Adrien studies the intricate embroidery. A large ladybug surrounded by delicate butterflies set on a light pink background. "This looks professionally made! There's no way."

"Remember back in May when she wasn't in school for a week? She had fallen down the stairs and hurt her back. The doctors made her stay home on bed rest for a couple days. Not that she does bed rest well; all she wanted to do was move around. Her parents got her a bunch of fabric and thread in the hopes it would keep her still. They made it back to her room three days later to find her surrounded by all these pillows and curtains, stitching that one you're holding. She is an unstoppable force when she puts her mind to something."

"What'cha talkin bout?" Ayla strolls over as Marinette makes her way into the kitchen and starts unloading sodas into a bag.

"Nino was just telling me the story behind all this." He replies, gesturing in awe to the rest of the room. He gently brushes his fingertips over the ladybug on the pillow, that same nagging memory pulling at his mind again.

"Oh yeah, I don't think she even slept that week."

"Who didn't sleep?" Marinette asks, giving Ayla a skeptical look.

"You. Adrien was just admiring your work and Nino was telling him the story behind all this pink." Ayla gestures around the room before nudging her friend with her elbow and trying to nonchalantly point at the pillow Adrien is still holding.

"Oh, ah-yeah… I slept that week; I wasn't all that tired anyway. I got a couple hours though… my back hurt too much to lay down for too long." She ends with a pout, hand resting on her back as if she can still feel it.

"You did a great job. Did you use the machine to do the stitching here? It's incredible." Adrien points to the ladybug, stroking the delicate image.

"Ah…no, i-it was all by hand… do you really like it?" she asks as her cheeks turn a pleasant shade of pink, obviously embarrassed to hear his compliment.

"It's amazing! You're really talented."

"She sure is. You should see her clothing designs, they're amazing. Just wait, somedays she's gonna give your dad a run for his money." Smiling smugly, Ayla throws an arm around her best friend's shoulders.

"As much as I love the complements, shouldn't we get to studying? We do kind of have a lot to do." Bright faced and smiling, Marinette pulls away from her friends embrace and waves for them to follow her up another set of stairs.

Adrien finds himself a bit nervous; he hadn't expected to find himself in her bedroom. It makes sense for them to work up there since they could be up late and possibly get into her parent's way after the bakery closed. But it just seems like such a private place. Sure, he's been there before but this seems different. Maybe he's different… he tells himself to be extra careful not to make her uncomfortable, not in her own room. He just won't be able to forgive himself if he were the reason she lost that easy smile.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come sit down?" he realizes too late that he had been staring again. She absent mindedly pats the chaise next to her, silently inviting him to come sit by her. To his surprise, he feels himself walk over and sit, close enough to her that their shoulders brush. With a poorly concealed squeak, she bounces in her seat and scoots over a few inches to put space between them. As if to soften the blow, she gives him a timid smile. She had probably seen the disappointment in his eyes when she moved.

Why is he disappointed that she moved? Thoroughly confused at his own emotions, he smiles at her and turns to Nino and Ayla seated on the floor across from them. "So how do you guys want to start this study session?"

As the night goes on, she sees Marinette relax more and more. By the time her parents bring up soup and sandwiches for dinner, she's joking and carrying on like she does with everyone else. Every once in a while she will look at him and sober up, but at least she is more relaxed than normal. She is still timid when talking directly to him but she does joke with him once or twice.

It's too much fun studying with friends, they continuously get off topic and Marinette has to scold them back into paying attention. Soon enough Ayla has to go home, Nino follows soon after. Hours had passed without them realizing, when Nino's mother calls its already past 10.

"Well, I guess I should get going too. I don't want to keep you up too late with this. I'll see you tomorrow." He sighs as he stands up to collect his things.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to… I mean, if you want to keep studying just the two of us we can. I-I wouldn't mind s-some extra study time…" she looks up at him through her lashes, cheeks pink and a small smile tugging at her lips.

He stands in stunned silence for a few seconds, unsure if what he had just heard was real. The look on her face is just too much; he feels his heart beat pick up as her blue eyes sparkle up at him. "You want me to stay and keep studying?" she looks away for a second before nodding. "Uhhh… yeah, I can stay. I mean, if you don't mind…" he looks over at Nino who just laughs, shrugs, and waves goodbye on his way down the stairs.

"Traitor…" Adrien mumbles as he carefully sets his things back down. "So… um… what else do you want to go over?" he doesn't know how to act anymore, not when it's just the two of them. Not when she's sitting there so close to him, making his chest feel tight. What is up with him today?

"Well, I know we went over it earlier but the stuff about light is still confusing me. Like, how light relates to radio waves and stuff. It's confusing…" she looks down at her notes, a small pinch forming in her brow. If he weren't actively controlling his thoughts, he would say it's adorable. At least, he pretends not to have thought it.

"Okay, that understandable. Radio waves and x-rays and all that are light. You remember that spectrum we were talking about earlier? Everything on it is light; it's just that only certain parts are visible to the human eye. Just like the light of the lamp over there can be separated into a rainbow, the rest of the light spectrum can be split up."

Looking down at her paper, she adds a couple notes. He watches her head nod along while explaining and is struck by how easy it is so far. Apparently, school is too important to be nervous around him, at least not while they're studying for a test.

The night continues on like this, one of them asks a question and the other will explain it or look it up. They do have to use the computer a couple times, but most of the answers are in the book. They even talk a bit while taking a break.

She's an avid reader when she's not sewing and she does cook a little, she has been known to draw and paint, she even tried pottery once. According to her she wasn't very good at it, though he doubts that. She seems to be good at everything she tries. He even finds out that she like parkour, though she quickly informs him that she doesn't do it often because it's dangerous.

She doesn't open up to him completely, she is still obviously nervous around him. But she has opened up a bit just the same, probably more than he has. She asks questions and he tries to answer them but there honestly isn't that much to know about him. He is a model, his father is famous, he had been home schooled until just over a year ago, and he likes fencing. The only interesting thing about him is that he is a part time superhero, not that he can tell her that.

They eventually abandon studying, instead talking about video games and movies they like. The conversation rolls, the more they talk the more comfortable they become together. Eventually, they both fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A sudden noise startles Marinette awake, every muscle clenched tight in shock and fear. She sits frozen, trying to figure out what it was that had just woken her. The sound comes again along with a grumpy moan.

She looks down to find Adrien's head in her lap, his entire body curled around her in the chair with his knees behind her back. When had she fallen asleep? How had they ended up sleeping like this? What is that horrible noise?

With another groan, Adrien's eyes slowly flutter open. Wow is he beautiful when he's sleepy. His hair falls into his now flushed face, eyes the most amazing shade of green. He is so pretty it takes her hearing the noise again to realize that he is **in her lap**. She freezes up again, waiting for his reaction before she does anything.

He blinks slowly a few times before turning his head and nuzzling her thigh. And then he shoots straight up and stares at her in what almost looks like fear. He quickly pulls out his phone and groans before answering and begins to pace.

"Hello Nathalie… yes, I… would you just… YES! I have an explanation! We were studying and I guess we fell asleep… no, there was no… yes ma'am… but… did you… why?... yes, I understand. I'll just collect my things before I… no you don't need to… it's not that far a walk… yes but… no I… yes ma'am. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes. Thank you Nathalie." He mumbles finally.

Marinette watches Adrien stare out the window in silence. She wants to say something but doesn't know what. He is obviously in trouble and she wants to help but doesn't know how to fix this.

"Adrien-"

"Thank you Marinette." His words send a flutter through her, hearing him say her name is always so nice. But he sounds so sad now.

"For what?"

"For putting up with me today and talking to me. I know it can be hard sometimes but I was hoping to get to know you better. You've been so kind to me today, thank you."

His voice is too polite, too fake. She closes the distance between them, turning him around into a hug. "Of course Adrien. It's no problem, I'll talk to you anytime. I'm sorry I got you in trouble, I'll explain it to your dad. I'll take full responsibility. It's my fault you-"

"No, it's not your fault." He pulls back to look down at her, hands still on her lower back to maintain the hug. "I agreed to stay and I fell asleep. You didn't do anything. I'll be fine, my father will be mad but it won't be too bad. He'll probably just give me a lecture and be done."

She looks up at him and tears fill her eyes. He's getting into trouble because she had asked him to stay. He is going to be punished for her selfishness. It's not fair.

He pulls her close again, resting his cheek on her hair. They stay like this for a while. She can feel the tension rolling off of him in waves; he obviously thinks it'll be worse than a lecture. All she can do now is hold him, trying to give him the comfort she knows he needs.

"Will you text me when you get home?" she mumbles into his shoulder, straining to hear his erratic heartbeat.

"I guess… why?"

"Just so that I know you made it home safe."

He pulls back again to look down at her, searching her eyes for something. A silent message passes between them, him asking why she cares so much and her telling him that he is important to her. That he is one of the most important people in her life.

Smiling a shy, tentative smile he says "Sure, if that's what you want. I doubt you'll still be awake then. It is really late."

"I'll still be up; I can only sleep once I'm sure all of my friends are home safe."

His phone beeps and he begins to gather his things. Making their way downstairs, she notices him looking around her home again. He seems to be taking everything in, like he's committing it to memory.

And next thing she knows he is waving from the car, showing her a final large, strained smile. He is definitely in big trouble.

Back in her room, Marinette begins to tidy up and tiptoes through the house to take the dishes to the kitchen as quietly as possible. The next few minutes are spent anxiously waiting for his text, cleaning and moving things back to their proper place in an attempt to distract herself. She knows that it's ridiculous to worry about him, it's only about a five minute drive. But a lot of stuff can happen in five minutes

Her body sags in relief when she hears the tinkling bells of her text message ringtone.

 _A – Hey, I finally made it home. Sorry if I woke you._

 _M – You didn't, I just finished cleaning up. Have you spoken to your dad yet?_

 _A – No, my father isn't home right now. Seriously, who's still working at 2 am?_

Marinette stares at her phone for a moment. What? Why is he saying it like that? It's only… "Oh my god! It's seriously 2 am?! I thought it was like, midnight!" she squeals, louder than she probably should have.

"What's going on down there?" Tikki flitters down from Marinette's bed, confused and still sleepy.

"Oh my god, its 2 am and he just left… Alya is gonna freak. Ohhhh, I can't deal with this right now. I'm way too tired." Tikki continues to stare at her charge in confusion but doesn't ask anything else, apparently too sleepy to think completely straight.

 _M – Will you talk to him tomorrow?_

 _A – Yeah. I'm scheduled to see him at 7 before I leave for a photoshoot_

"Scheduled…?"

 _M – Well, let me know what he says? I can totally explain it to him. I will if you don't mind. It was just a mistake; he shouldn't punish you for falling asleep…_ _L_

 _A – You are not taking the fall for me! It was my fault for not paying attention to the time. And yes, I'll let you know as soon as I leave his office_

 _A – Thank you, for caring. It means a lot. Good night Mari, I'll talk to you in the morning._

 _M – Of course Adrien. Sweet dreams_ _J_

Quickly changing into her pajamas, Marinette scrambles into bed. Did all of that just happen? It's like a dream come true, minus him getting in trouble. He had talked to her, joked with her… slept with his head in her lap. Remembering it makes her head spin, it's just too good to be true. All good feeling aside, she is very worried about him.

With those jumbled emotions swirling in her head, she falls asleep again. She dreams of green eyes, blond hair, and beautiful white butterflies slowly smothering her.

Adrien wakes slowly the next morning, the dim light of an early fall morning filtering through his window. Memories from the night before slowly scroll across his consciousness. The four of them laughing and joking. Marinette getting more and more comfortable around him, her tinkling laughter filling his head. Again he can't help but think that she reminds him of someone.

He rolls over, rubbing his face into his pillow. He is so tired; it had taken him forever to fall back asleep once he had gotten home. A groggy memory surfaces, another time he had nuzzled a pillow in sleepiness. A pink denim pillow.

Shooting out of bed like a rocket, he begins to frantically pace. Had he actually done that? With his head in Marinette's lap? It had to be a dream, or maybe something his exhausted mind had conjured. It's true, he had woken up with his head on her thighs, but there was no way…

"Why on earth are you pacing at 6 o'clock in the morning? SOME people are still trying to sleep." Plagg complains from his customary spot on the pillow.

"I can't believe all that actually happened. I mean sure, everything before we fell asleep obviously happened. But… did I really do that to her thighs? I mean, if I did then it would have been overly intimate. My face would have right by her…" he chokes a bit at the idea and immediately shoves the thought aside, heart pounding and warmth spreading through his lower stomach and upper thighs.

"No! No no no no no no! I need to stop thinking like that. We're just friends! Anyway, I love Ladybug. It… It's just normal, right? I'm a normal 16 year old guy. She's a pretty girl. Had I been like that with Alya or Chloe I'd be thinking the same way… right?" he stands, staring off into space trying to remember why he had gotten up so early. Well, he's trying to try to remember. Mostly he's freaking out about the events from a couple hours ago.

"You have a meeting with your father at 7." Plagg reads Adrien's mind, his voice lifting the fog of thoughts in Adrien's head.

With a small yelp, Adrien runs for the bathroom. He needs a shower before meeting with his father; he has to leave for the photo shoot soon after they talk.

The hot water does little to help dispel his drifting mind. He keeps playing the night over and over until he finds himself in front of his father's study door at 6:59, waiting to enter at exactly 7.

He steps into his father's private office, closing the door behind him before silently walking to the center of the room. There he waits for what feels like forever, knowing that he will have to wait for his father to finish what he is doing before it will be okay to speak.

Adrien focuses on the curtains on the back wall as Gabriel sets his paperwork aside. He watches his father in his periphery, trying to see any kind of facial expression on his father's passive face. He has always been like this, cold and unforgiving.

"Come, sit."

Adrien flashes his eyes to his father. He can't even remember the last time he had been invited to sit in his father's office. Walking quickly to one of the chairs opposite his father, Adrien tries to decipher the look he had seen on Gabriel's face. Overall his face had been blank, but his eyes had been drawn back and his mouth was taught. His posture had been rigid, hands clasped on the desk. Angry, definitely angry.

"Do you know why you are here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why?"

Adrien stared down at his hands, folded gracefully in his lap to keep from fidgeting under his father's scrutiny. "I stayed out too late last night. I should have been home at a respectable hour. I apologize." He grips his right hand hard enough to turn his knuckles white, covering them with his left. It is unwise to show weakness to his father.

"Do you have any idea what the media backlash could have been if this had gotten out?" his calm voice is laced with barely contained rage.

"Media backlash? I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Of course you don't, you've never had to deal with it before because you've never been so stupid. Honestly Adrien, you were alone with a girl doing god knows what and didn't leave until well after midnight. Do you know what I've been thinking? What the press would have thought? How did this happen? WHAT happened?" Gabriel stands and begins to pace, voice and face still cold and bored.

"I… we-we were studying as a group, our teacher assigned groups to study in for the test on Friday. We went to her house to study and it took longer than expected. I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

"Your driver didn't see anyone else leave with you. If you were in a group, where were your classmates?"

"They-uh-they had left earlier in the night…" Adrien's voice sounds so small, he hates it. This isn't that bad but he can't stand to see his father angry at him.

"So it was just the two of you? Did you two…" the question hangs in the air, not needing to be finished. Adrien feels his face go red, knowing exactly what his father thinks happened.

"No! No, we are just friends."

Gabriel gives his son a skeptical look but nods; Adrien has never lied to him before. Gabriel sits down again, staring his son down while he thinks.

"You plan to meet again as a group, right? Tell your friends that you will study here, where Nathalie can keep an eye on you. Consider yourself on probation." With that Gabriel ends the conversation, waving his hand at the door before returning to his work.

Adrien walked mechanically toward the exit and turns to watch his father for a moment before leaving. That went… better than expected. There hadn't been any yelling or grounding or real punishment. He had definitely been mad but he wasn't lashing out. Maybe his anger was about something at work.

Running to his room, Adrien grabs his backpack and still sleeping Plagg. After stopping in the kitchen to grab a croissant and an apple, he makes his way to the car to head to the photo shoot.

 _A – Are you awake yet?_

 _M – Yeah, I've been up for a while now… how'd it go with your dad?_

 _A – Not too bad, my father was definitely angry but he didn't really punish me. Apparently I'm on 'probation' lol_

 _M - How long was the lecture?_

 _A – Well, it felt like I was in there for hours. I was in and out in about 5 minutes though. He didn't really say much, just asked some questions and sent me on my way_

 _M – Will you be able to study with us today? The test is tomorrow, I'm not sure if we'll be able to do this without you…_

 _A – Don't be like that; I know you can do this. And yeah, but if we do study as a group it has to be at my house. Sorry…_

 _M – So… I get to see your home?_

 _A – Of course, as long as you don't mind studying in my room_

 _M – I get to see your room too?!_

 _A – Yeah, where else would we study?_

"Mr. Agreste, we're here. They're waiting for you by the fountain." His driver tells him as he turns the car off.

Marinette rushes to school, hoping to catch Adrien before the first bell rings. They had texted throughout the morning, in between takes and she had been disappointed to find out that his breakfast consisted of mostly an apple. In an attempt to rectify this, she packed some breakfast sandwiches and fruits along with a small package of camembert for him.

For some reason he always had cheese with him. She has seen him throwing away different packaging on multiple occasions but had never actually seen him eat any… that doesn't matter though, he must eat it when she's not looking.

"Adrien!" she yells to get his attention. He turns and gives her a radiant smile, waving as he walks to meet her halfway at the bottom of the steps. She nearly trips when she reaches him, only saving his hot chocolate because he catches her on her way down.

"Hey, careful! Don't wanna spill your drink."

"Oh-um-its n-not my drink. It's for you. S-so is this. Um, you-uh-didn't really eat breakfast so-uh-so I brought this for you. I didn't know w-what you'd want to eat so I-um- I brought a f-few things… for you…" she feels her cheeks burn. Why does she have to stutter so much?

"Really? Thank you! That's so sweet!"

She looks up to see his now genuine smile. He takes a half step away and gently pulls the brown paper bag from her grasp to look inside, grinning ear to ear. He pulls out one of the five sandwiches, to which he laughs, and unwraps to take a bite.

"This is delicious! Is that… what is this?"

"Ummm… it might be rhubarb… I could really only tell if I tasted it." She tries to help but all of the croissants look the same.

"Here, don't let me hog it all. Take a bite. Have you eaten breakfast yet? I don't know if I can eat all this." He hands her the pastry before reaching back into the bag to pull out another.

She takes a bite and feels her face pinch. Definitely rhubarb, she never has been a big fan of particular type of sour flavor. "It's rhubarb. And –uh, no… I forgot to eat."

He blinks at her and lets out a joyous laugh. "Don't like it?"

She shakes her head as he hands her the pastry from the bag. "I prefer sweeter treats, like strawberry and blackberry. Not a big fan of sour stuff."

He nods as he inhales the pastry she had practically thrown back at him. Taking a bite of the one he had given her, raspberry, she watches him eat her parents food. He makes all kinds of funny faces when he eats something he enjoys. His small smile widens in delight at the flavor, making it hard to chew politely. His eyes scrunch at the corner, blinking slowly as he savors each bite. He even makes little humming noises when he bites into the chocolate one.

"These are delicious! Can I give the recipes to my chef at home? I'd try to make them myself but I'm not a very good cook… Is that a package of cheese?" he holds up the small wheel of cheese she had thrown in on a whim, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"I know it's not a traditional breakfast food but… well, I always see you throwing away cheese packages so I figured you must like cheese. I thought that if you didn't like the croissants than you would at least eat your favorite cheese. At least, I figure it's your favorite…" does he think it's weird that she knows so much about his massive cheese stash that he seems to go through every day?

"Oh… uh, yeah! I love cheese, can't get enough… of the uh… stuff… thank you, I didn't know that anyone had noticed. I'll save it for later; I'm a bit full from the other stuff you brought me."

She tries to hide her blush behind the cup, taking a dainty sip of the rich hot chocolate.

"Ummm… I thought that was for me." He points at the cup, which is in fact for him. Blushing even harder, she quickly hands the cup over. "Sorry, I kind of forgot. I got distracted by all of that talk about pastries and your mouth." Wait, what? "I mean, there's a crumb on it! Not that I was distracted by it in general. That would be weird and if there's anything I'm not its weird!"

He laughs and leans down, silent signaling her to wipe away the crumb since his hands are full. Her heart is pounding in her ears as she reaches up to gently brush away the pastry remains on his lower lip. Their eyes meet and he gives her a dazzling smile.

Girl down, girl DOWN! She feels her knees buckle and down she goes, almost fainting. He catches her around the waist and pulls her tight against himself as he corrects their balance.

"Are you okay?! Does your head hurt? You're not sick are you? I saw that your cheeks are red but I thought it was just the cold." He looks down at her with concern in his eyes as the bell rings to tell them to get to class.

"I-I'm-I'm fine. My-uh-my knee just decided to stop-uh-working… I'm not sick, just-just clumsy." She beams up at him, trying to get the worried look off his face.

"Alright, if you're sure… let me help you to class then. We can head to the nurse at lunch." He switches his hold on her so that he only has one arm around her middle and starts to slowly walk her to class, not willing to take no for an answer.

Navigating the stairs will be difficult since her knees are still refusing to work properly, so he hands her his cup and sweeps her up in his arms, carrying her princess style up the stairs and into the classroom. He moves like she weighs nothing at all, she can feel the surprisingly strong muscles in his arms and chest move to keep her up. He sets her in her seat seconds before the final bells rings.

"Mr. Agreste, if I may, why were you carrying Ms. Dupain-Cheng?"

Marinette feels her body freeze up as the entire class turns to look at the two of them. Had her knees not betrayed her moments earlier, she would have had the inclination to run back home and stay there.

"Marinette was having trouble walking and the stairs seemed to be impossible for her to take so I figured I would just skip the middle man and carried her up. I'm sorry if I caused any concern." She watches him rub the back of his neck as he explains, turning to wink at her before returning his attention to the front.

She can practically feel Alya's mouth hanging open, though she is unwilling to turn and see it for sure. A murmur spreads through the classroom and Marinette sees Chloe shooting her dirty looks from across the room.

"Yes well, try not to make a habit of carrying classmates around. There's enough tomfoolery in this school as it is. Marinette, are you feeling okay dear?"

"Yes ma'am. My knees just don't seem to feel right. I'll be fine." She smiles reassuringly at her teacher.

The rest of the day passes slowly, she's too excited to visit Adrien's home and can't concentrate on anything else. She's sitting at her desk when the bell rings for lunch, too deep in a daydream to realize that everyone is leaving the room. When she finally comes to, she looks up to find a pair of spring green eyes gazing down at her.

"Can you stand now or do you need to see the nurse?"

"Uh… I can probably stand now. I'm willing to try anyway." She says breathlessly, watching as he smiles down at her and holds a hand out for her to take.

She takes his lead, hand shaking slightly, and stands with a bit of his help. She finds herself standing very close to him, chests almost touching. She looks up at him, realizing just how much taller he is than her. Her eyes would be level with his chin, though now he is looking down at her with an odd expression.

"What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong."

"Adrien, you've got a weird look on your face. What's wrong?"

"I… I was just remembering last night…" his cheeks turn pink and he takes a step back, looking down at her hand in his.

"Did your dad get mad? I know you said he didn't but…"

"No, I was thinking about when I was still at your house… I… I wanted to apologize for-for how I acted when I woke up. It was inappropriate."

"What are you talking about? I don't remember you doing anything inap-"

"But I did! I kind of… nuzzled your thigh… a bit…" he murmurs as he turns bright red and squeezes his eyes shut.

She feels her knees give out again. He did have his head in her lap but she doesn't remember that! How had she missed him doing that? No, she knows how. She didn't miss it, she just wrote it off as fantasy. Because that's not something that would happen in reality. Right? Wrong, apparently.

"Marinette? Are you okay?" his concerned voice calls to her through the storm of her thoughts.

"I-I'm fine. Just feeling a bit faint. Ummm… did that really happen? I don't remember anything like that."

"You… you don't? But I thought… maybe it was a dream."

She looks up at him, watching his eyes flicker and his hands wring as he tries to sort out his foggy memories from the night before. After a moment he sighs and looks at his hands. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. Ummm… back to the matter at hand. Can you stand? I know you fell a second ago but I'm not sure if it was because of what I said or not…" he refuses to look at her, but holds out his hand all the same.

"I'm not sure either… I'll be fine, go eat lunch."

"Not until I'm sure you're okay. Come on; let's make our way downstairs together. That way we both win." He says as he catches her hand and pulls her to her feet.

Unfortunately, her knees once again refuse to stay under her. She stumbles forward into him, unable to stifle her yelp of surprise at the sudden close proximity. Before she can react further, he wraps an arm around her back and another behind her knees and whisks her off of her feet.

"Come along princess, we're off to the nurse. You need to get looked at before you get hurt." He smiles down at her, obviously trying to dispel the seriousness in the air between them. Grabbing her purse, he carries her off to see the nurse, despite her many protests.

"Put me down!"

"Only after you open the door." He gives her a stern look.

"I don't need to see the nurse! Put me down and I'll prove it. I'm sure I can walk on my own just fine." She lies.

"Marinette, just knock on the door. All you're doing right now is wasting time; I'm not putting you down until the nurse is ready to see you. Now, are you going to cooperate or do I have to do everything myself?"

The door swings open; a confused woman stands in the doorway and says "Mr. Agreste? Why are you holding Ms. Dupain-Cheng like that?"

Adrien beams at the nurse, "Marinette is having trouble standing so I brought her down to get checked out. May we come in?"

The nurse turns her attention to Marinette, silently asking if she does indeed need help. With a deep sigh, Marinette nods and the older woman motions them in behind her.

"You can put me down now." Marinette growls at the blond boy.

"Of course. I'll be just outside the door if you need me."

Once he is out of the room she feels herself relax. The nurse closes the door behind him before returning to the bed where Marinette is practically melting in relief.

"So, you're having trouble standing?"

"No. Well… yes, but I know the reason why."

"Is the reason currently sitting outside in the hall?"

"Would it make me seem pathetic to say yes?"

The woman laughs, patting Marinette on the back good naturedly. Shaking her head, she says "No, sweety, it makes you human. Honestly, if I had a man like that following me around like a lost puppy I'd probably be a puddle on the floor. Now, the question is, how do you want to play this off?"

Marinette ponders this for a moment. "Umm, I could say I'm tired. Exhaustion can make you weak, right?" he's not following her around like a lost puppy, is he? No, he's just being nice. Anyone would do this if they could. He's just being nice.

"I suppose we could say that… alright, I'll prescribe you some coffee and lunch and you can be on your way. Do you think you'll be able to walk on your own now?"

"Maybe, let me try." Marinette slides to the floor, testing her shaky legs. After a few rounds of the room she gets the thumbs up from the nurse, letting her know that she looks to be in full working order. Honestly, how does he make her knees so weak? All he has to do is look at her the right way and she's falling over. God forbid he ever try to flirt with her, she'd be a puddle on the floor.

"I think you're good to go, just get some food and coffee in you. Let me know if this happens again." The nurse says a bit too loud as she opens the door, winking at Marinette as she ushers her out of the room.

Adrien jumps up as she comes out, stepping toward her with a hand out but never reaching far enough to touch her. "What did she say? Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, I'm just a bit sleep deprived. Nothing to worry over. She just wants me to drink some coffee and eat something." She smiles at him as she slides past him, fully intending to actually get some coffee. After all, she did stay up late the night before.

"Cool, let's go get some lunch then." He beams as he skips to her side. He looks so happy she just can't say no. Nodding along, they walk out of the school together, ignoring the stares of their classmates.

As they make their way to the local café, she does a mental check of the money she has on her. Probably enough for a small coffee and a sandwich. Not enough to fill her but enough to tide her over until she gets home after school.

"Hello. I'll have a large coffee and… the soup special of the day. What do you want Marinette?" he turns to her with a polite smile.

"Umm, a small coffee and that sandwich." She points to the half ham and cheese under the glass.

"Mari, that's not enough to fill you up."

"It's kind of all I can afford right now…" she feels her face get hot again.

"Umm, I'm paying sooo…"

She looks up in surprise. "I can't let you do that!"

"I'm not giving you a choice." He turns to the cashier. "She'll have what I'm having, but make her coffee a café mocha." He says and holds out a card before even hearing a total.

"You can't pay for me! At least let me pay you back."

Shaking his head, he accepts the coffees and his card with a quiet thank you and walks to a vacant table. "Look, don't worry about it. It was just lunch, it's not like it cost me a fortune. Think of it as a gift, from one friend to another."

Sinking into the seat opposite him, she looks up at him through her lashes. "Thank you." She feels awkward, he is just too nice. She feels like she is taking advantage of him.

He coughs a bit and looks away. "It-it's nothing."

She watches his cheeks turn pink and wonders if he is feeling okay. He had been acting weird for the past day or so, maybe he's getting sick.

A call comes from the counter and Adrien jumps up to get their food. "This smells delicious! A good choice if I do say so myself."

Sipping her coffee, she asks "How did you know that I don't drink normal coffee?" she watches his hands hesitate while passing her food to her.

"Well… you and Alya always bring three cups and mix them together in the morning. I know that she brings coffee, so I figured… what else do you mix with coffee other than hot chocolate?"

"Hmmm… I had no idea you were so observant."

"Yeah, it's kind of a new thing. To be honest, I've wanted to talk to you for a while now. You're always so uncomfortable around me though… I want to be your friend, but that's hard when you run away so often. I was trying to find some way to talk to you when we got grouped together to study. I guess I got lucky." He smiles down at his soup, seemingly unwilling to look at her.

"You don't make me uncomfortable, just nervous. I mean, you're Adrien Agreste! You're famous and smart and beautiful and just so amazing, it's kind of intimidating. I've wanted to be friends for a while too but I get nervous around you… I like you and I guess it makes me clumsy." She confesses.

"But why do you only get like that around me? You seem to like everyone, what's different about me?" he asks in an almost pleading tone.

He seriously doesn't get that she just confessed her feelings for him? For an observant guy he's pretty blind. Shaking her head, she watches him as she thinks. There is no way she's saying it again.

"I guess I'll have to work on that. Maybe being together like this will help me get over this." She gestures between them, talking about her crush while knowing he would assume she meant the nervousness.

Silence falls between them as they eat and she obsesses over her feelings of guilt for letting him pay. Maybe she can make him something to repay this debt. She grins, wiggling in her seat at the thought of making him something that he can wear around people. Something that people will ask about and he will tell them proudly that she made it. Ideas flood her mind as she begins to plan out what she wants to make him.

"What are you so excited about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought of a new project I'm going to start soon…" a nice scarf set. The weather is turning cold and he never seems to have any adequate winter gear so she decides to make him a scarf with matching hat and gloves.

"Project? What are you going to make?"

"Ahhhh… a gift for a friend of mine. You'll see."

Sipping her coffee, she studies him. What color would fit him best? Black, she decides, black with green accents. The black will compliment anything he wears and the green will match his eyes and make everything pop.

"Come on, now I'm curious. Who's it for?"

"I'm not telling! If I tell you it'll make it back to him and then it won't be a surprise anymore."

After repeated attempts to get it out of her he gives up, sighing heavily when he realizes that she has no intention of telling him anything.

Marinette slowly steers the conversation to the weather, wanting to find out what fabrics and styles he prefers. As it turns out, they both love fall, though Marinette has had some issues of late with the cold. Turns out ladybugs don't like winter much and the traits are being passed to her through Tikki.

As they talk Marinette asks innocent questions about his preferences with winter gear. He answers all of her questions with raised eyebrows but doesn't question her. He probably just thinks that it's her inner fashion designer coming out. Which she supposes it is, though she isn't just asking to ask. She's going to use all the information he gave her to make him the perfect scarf set.

Before they know it, they've talked through their lunch hour and have to rush back to school to keep from being late to class. She has what she needs and as soon as she gets to her seat she begins to sketch out her plans for his gift, making notes about length and material. It's going to be beautiful.

Adrien makes his way to his room after school, excited for the arrival of his friends in just under an hour. He rushes around his room, cleaning and adjusting things around the room and making sure everything is presentable.

A quiet knock comes from his door, someone must be early. Rushing to open it, he finds himself face-to-face with his father. "Oh, father. What can I help you with?"

"I received a call from your school today. Apparently you caused a scene in class. A scene that upset a few of your classmates, care to explain yourself?" Gabriel asks coldly, his smooth tone laced with malice.

"Yes sir. A friend of mine was hurt so I helped… them… to class. I did not intend to cause a scene." Adrien chooses his words carefully, knowing his father is angry. He only ever talks to Adrien directly now when he's angry.

"I see. Does this friend happen to Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" Gabriel asks as he steps toward his son, forcing him back into the room and closing the door behind them.

"Ye-yes sir. It was…" Adrien shrinks into himself, fear filling his chest. His father is very intimidating up close like this.

"Is something going on between the two of you?"

"No sir, we are only friends."

"DON'T lie to me! Your actions betray you." His father yells, raising a fist and speaking through clenched teeth.

Adrien flinches away, as if his father had finished the strike. He had never been physically abusive, but looking back now Adrien has to admit that it wouldn't be a stretch for his father. He has always been a cold man.

Before either of them can speak again, Nathalie's voice blares from the intercom on the wall "your friends are at the gate Adrien."

Gabriel lowers his hand and takes a deep breath before pressing the button on the box "thank you Nathalie." His voice bored and emotionless again, he says "we will talk about this later."

As fast as he arrived, Gabriel is gone again.

Adrien takes a shaky breath and slides down the wall as his knees give out. "I thought he was gonna…" unable to finish his thought, he feels his kwami squirm out of his pocket.

"Adrien… are you okay?" Plagg asks, his large green eyes shining up at Adrien.

"Plagg, I thought he… I never thought he could… why am I shaking so much?"

Plagg flies up to rub their cheeks together. "It's because you're afraid. Your father is kind of scary."

"Why would I be scared? I've been hit plenty of times as chat noir."

"It's different when you're Adrien, especially when it's someone you're close to. I'm sorry." He curls up against Adrien's neck and begins to purr, doing his best to comfort his chosen.

"But…"

A knock at his door interrupts him. A second later Nino sticks his head in the room, eyes finally finding his best friend on the floor against the nearby wall.

"Dude, are you okay?" he comes to kneel by Adrien.

"I'm fine; my dad just came in to talk to me a minute ago. He heard about me helping Marinette today and didn't like it, he's a bit upset."

"What did he do?" Nino asks, his face turning dark as he studies his obviously upset friend.

"He yelled at me… nothing too bad. Um, are the girls here yet? He stands up, feeling Plagg climb down his back to keep from being seen.

"Alya texted me a few minutes ago, they should be here any time now." Nino still looks concerned but refrains from asking further questions.

"Uh, make yourself comfortable. I'll put on some music." Anything to fill the silence between them. He moves around his room, shifting things around and acting busy to give himself time to get control of his swirling emotions.

"Knock knock! The party is here." Alya calls from the open door. "You have a crazy big house! Even your room is huge. Oh my god, is that a TV? Marinette, look at how big his TV is! That thing is bigger than me!" she pulls her best friend into the room behind her.

"Wow… everything is so big." Marinette looks around his room, eyes sliding across everything until they finally settle on him. He smiles at her as she grins shyly back, pink rising in her cheeks.

Seeing she helps him pull himself together, it's bad enough that Nino saw him falling to pieces. No way is he going to make her worry too.

"Let's do this! Imam just claim the rest of this couch." Alya smirks at Nino as she drops her stuff on the couch and sits beside him, effectively forcing Marinette to sit by Adrien.

"Can I get you anything? Snacks, drinks?" Adrien jumps to grab a water from the mini fridge by his desk. "I've got water, Gatorade, and protein shakes."

"Gatorade." Alya and Nino say in unison, smiling at each other.

"Um, water please." Marinette requests quietly.

Grabbing their drinks, Adrien swiftly takes Plagg from his shirt and drops him in the drawer of cheese hidden in the bottom of the fridge. Losing the stockpile of cheese is a small price to pay to keep the ancient, cheese obsessed god quiet.

Plagg has been very vocal about his feeling for Marinette of late. She had been thoughtful to bring him cheese, although unknowingly, and had won his affection ever since. He had stated squirming and mewing softly the moment she had walked in, he maintains the idea that Adrien likes her as more than a friend.

The small cat snickers, knowing what Adrien is thinking. He gives a small wave and Cheshire grin as Adrien closes the door. Sighing to himself, Adrien makes his way back over to his friends and takes a seat by Marinette.

"Uhhh… let's get to work. We-we have a lot of stuff to cover before the-uh-test tomorrow." Marinette says, looking at each of them before turning to pull her notes out and get set up.

The night goes on much like the one before, some joking and talking distracting them from studying. Marinette keeps having to bring them back to the matter at hand.

At 6 o'clock on the dot a knock comes from the door seconds before a chef wheels in a tray full of dishes. Quickly unloading their dinner, the chef quietly arranges condiments and a small ice bucket at the very end of the coffee table.

"Thank you" Marinette says with a quiet smile directed at the man.

"Oh! You're very welcome my dear." He replies, clearly surprised to receive the sentiment. Perhaps Adrien should show his appreciation to the staff more often. The chef looks so happy after a simple thank you.

"Please enjoy." The man smiles as he makes his way out of the room.

Adrien watches Marinette carefully lift the lid off of the closest tray, revealing four hamburgers. How can she be so kind and yet so shy? Maybe she is really only shy with **him** , a strange and puzzling thought.

"Ooh, hamburgers! What's in the other one? I hope its fries! Or onion rings." Alya bounces to the end of the couch, shoving her stuff out of the way. Lifting the lid to reveal French fries, she squirms happily in place before popping a fry in her mouth.

"How about we watch a movie while we eat? I'd rather not risk dropping food on my notes." Adrien suggests as he stands, looking for the remote.

"Sounds good man! Alya, help me pick out a movie." Nino grabs the girl's hand, dragging her off to the expansive DVD selection on the wall across the room.

"Mari, do you mind getting up for a second? I'm gonna move the couch a bit so that we can all so."

She jumps up, throwing a fry in her mouth as she steps out of the way. It's still a bit awkward between them, he thought he had made progress with her earlier but she is still stammering and unwilling to look at him. Well, he can't really expect to fix it in only a day.

Turning the couch as much as he can in the limited space, Adrien shifts everything around so that both couches touch and face the TV. Though the couch he and Marinette claimed is facing it at an odd angle.

Alya and Nino skip back over, handing Adrien a copy of Shrek 2. One of his personal favorites. "You guys get comfortable and ill pop it in."

Marinette excuses herself to the bathroom as his two other friends get comfortable. Making himself a plate, Adrien sits by the arm of the couch and cues up the movie.

Closing the door behind her and turning off the lights, Marinette quickly makes herself a plate and sits by Adrien. However, once the movie starts she scoots closer to him. He decided after a moment that she can't see properly, the angle must be too much for her.

Having already inhaled his food, he puts his plate down and throws his arm across the back of the couch to be out of her way. "Hey Marinette! Scoot closer, so that you can see." He whispers to her, waving her over with his free hand.

After a moment's thought, she slowly scoots closer to him. She stops just before their thighs touch and gives him a shy smile. They both ignore the snickers coming from the other couch, focusing instead on the movie. Well, she does anyway. Adrien is only half watching; most of his attention is focused on the heat of her thigh seeping into his.

It takes all he has to keep from touching her, even though he can't for the life of him figure out why he has the inclination. Maybe it's just he's chat coming out; cats crave attention from people… don't they?

As the movie progresses, he finds himself focusing on the thin ribbons holding her hair up. He slowly begins to pull one, trying not to let her know what he's doing.

To distract her from the slow loss of her ribbons, he begins to quote puss in boots. He knows all of his lines by heart, he is Adrien favorite character.

Every once in a while she will glance at him, to which he responds by leaning closer to her and whispering quotes at her with a perfect accent.

By the end of the movie she is relaxed against him, leaning into his side and constantly pushing her hair behind her ear. He holds both of her ribbon in his palm, successful in his attempts to steal the only things keeping her hair in place.

Jumping up to turn on the lights, he laughs to himself as Marinette looks around to try to find her hair ties. He smirks down at the stolen ribbons, tucking them safely in his pocket. He plans to give them back tomorrow. Well, maybe Monday.

"You look good with your hair down." He tells her as he leans across the back of the couch over her as she digs between the couch cushions to find her lost ribbons.

She slowly looks up at him, their noses almost touching. Rolling to the side to lay under him, having apparently given up the search, she turns an attractive shade of red. "Do you think so?" she catches a strand of long black hair, twirling it around her finger.

"You should wear it down more often." He murmurs as he leans down toward her. Something about her like this is irresistible, laying under him with her dark hair down and pink cheeks.

"You know there are other people in the room… right?"

Alya's voice shocks him out of his hazy thoughts. He j8umps away from the couch, realizing what he had been about to do. He really needs to get a hold of himself. Why is he acting like this so much lately? It's not like he likes Marinette like that. She just makes him forget for a while what his life is like, being around her makes it feel like all the other stuff doesn't matter as much. She makes him feel better.

Earlier, her arrival made him forget the fear left behind after all that stuff that happened with his father. She makes it easier to handle being this version of himself. Do all friends do that?

"Ummm… anyway, wanna start studying again?" Nino asks no one in particular.

The awkwardness slowly leaves the room as they go back to studying, though Marinette starts stuttering again whenever he catches her eye. He messed up and made her feel uncomfortable. Again.

At ten till 10 precisely, Nathalie's voice rings across the room. "Adrien, your father has asked me to remind you that the car will be ready at 10 o'clock to take your friends home.

Looking at his phone, Nino sighs. "I guess we should pack up."

Everyone nods along as they begin cleaning up. Papers shuffle and plates clink as they are stacked; soon everyone is ready to go.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Alya mutters on her way out the door.

Nino waves goodbye and leaves Adrien and Marinette alone.

"Ummm… I guess I-I'll see you in the morning." She says, looking anywhere but at him. She quickly wraps her arms around him before stepping away. "Good night." She smiles at him before slipping from the room.

He watches his friends pile into the car from his window as Plagg floats up to rest on his shoulder. "You smell like embarrassment and vanilla. What did you do?'

"Something stupid." He replies, looking down at the ribbons in his hand. "I'm in trouble Plagg."

"That's an understatement. What in particular are you talking about though? This list is getting pretty long."

"I keep getting… distracted by her. I can't figure out why."

"You like her. And why wouldn't you? She's amazing."

"Shut up, you just like her because she brought you cheese."

"So?"

"I love ladybug! And I like Marinette as a friend… if I can't control myself better people will think I have **feeling** feelings for her. I don't want to cause her trouble."

"Then maybe you should stay away from her."

"Yeah… I can do that… ill distance myself." He says, mostly to himself, as he lays down on his bed. Plagg floats away to turn off the lights as Adrien plays with the ribbons, lost in thought. "I just have to stay away."


	3. Chapter 3

It's 3 a.m. when Marinette is woken by a news alert on her phone. "Breaking news. A man has been seen wandering the streets of Paris, capturing anyone out and about in the early morning hours. He is reportedly using large nets to capture and suspend people above the ground. He was last seen headed toward the Grand Paris Hotel. We advise everyone to avoid the area until he …"

Groaning, Marinette rolls out of bed and stretches. "Tikki… Tikki! Wake up!" she sings to the small sleeping god. "Come on, there's an akuma on the loose."

Tikkis large eyes flutter open and she asks through a large yawn, "Doesn't anyone sleep in this city?" she floats to the bedside table and quickly gobbles up a leftover cookie from the night before. "Alright, I'm ready to go."

"Tikki, spots on!"

A bright pink flash fills the room as she transforms. Yawning, she climbs up to her balcony and takes off into the night. After a few minutes of searching, she finds the akumatized man stalking down the street. He whistles slowly as his boots squeak, navy blue body suit nearly blending in with the dark road under him, a large net strapped to his back and keys jingling at his hip.

"Looks like I've found our akumatized dog catcher." Chat Noirs purrs as he lands in front of the new super villain.

"Oh look! A feral Chat! It seems my prey is coming to me now. Hold still kitty and I'll make this relatively painless." The man grunts as he swings the net down where Chat noir had just been.

"Whoa dude! Chill. No need to be so hostile. I may net be your ally but that's no reason to be so rude." He laughs as he jumps back, obviously giggling at his own horrible pun.

"That was awful!" ladybug sighs as she lands by his side.

"Oh ladybug, you know you miss my puns when I'm away."

Grunting as she turns away, she studies the new villain. "Taking in his outfit, he seems to have been an animal catcher of some kind. He was most likely bitten on the job or something. Poor guy was probably just trying to do his job and got unlucky enough to fall victim to an akuma. What do you think his fetish is?"

"Ropes I think." Chat replies with a grin. "No, probably the giant net. He looks like a dog catcher." He hums before vaulting forward to engage the enraged supervillain.

Ladybug is moving low, still not totally awake. She jumps into the fight but isn't moving as fast as normal. While she does get in a few hits, most of her attacks miss completely.

"Lady, look out!"

Too late, she feels the net connect with her ribs as she is flung to the side. Hitting a car hard enough to told the metal in on itself, she sees stars burst before her eyes. Taking a slow, shallow breath, she barely breathes out, "Get the net… I don't know how much help I'll be now… sorry…" she looks up at Chat, her vision unblurring to show his panicked face. "Go, I'll be fine Chat."

Nodding, he runs off. She hurts all over. She much have cracked a couple ribs and the metallic taste in her mouth can't be good. Watching the villain fly over her, she decides that its finally time to stand up. It takes longer that she wants to admit it does, a lot more pain than she expected while transformed, and not a few choice curse words.

Finally standing on her own two feet, Chat approaches her, net in hand. Wordlessly he breaks the pole in half over his knee and a small black butterfly flutters out. Using her yo-yo, she purifies the akuma and throws it in the air yelling "Miraculous Ladybug" in a very hoarse and pained voice. A red flash fills the night air and all the damage done by the akuma is magically fixed.

All except her injuries that is. She still feels like death is only a step away as she struggles to take full breaths.

"My lady?" Chats face swims in her vision.

She stumbles to her knees, gasping in pain at the jarring motion. She gulps down air as she tries to steady her spinning head.

"Lady?!" his voice sounds far away, like he is calling her from a great distance. A sudden stabbing pain in her side brings his face back into focus. She feels tears stream down her face as he lifts her in his arms, though she isn't quite sure which of them are crying.

"Where do you live? I'll take you home."

"No! no, you can't know who I am." She cries out.

"I'm not leaving you here! You're injured, I won't leave you. I can't."

Thinking is hard with a pain wracked body. Thoughts bob and weave between shots of pain coming from everywhere at once. Through the fog of pain, she hears her miraculous beep. She's running out of time.

"Okay, fine. Do you remember the school where we fought the Evillustrator? Take me there, I think I can make my way home from there on my own."

"But my lady…" he's cut off by her hand raising to cup his tearstained cheek. "I'm going to be okay Chat. I just need some time to rest. I'm only letting you take me that far to humor you." She lies through her gritted teeth.

He nods after a moment, gently lifting her and running as smoothly as possible toward the school. The pain begins to fade as the cold fall night air chills her and her breathing evens out. She watches Chats face as he runs. He looks so torn and concerned. He glances at her as he slows to a stop, carefully setting her on the steps of the school.

"Ladybug, are you sure you don't want me to take you home?"

"Chat. I'm fine. It's just going to be a bruise and a few days of sore muscles. I'll be back to working order tomorrow." She takes a deep, and painful, breath before standing.

Pain rings through her right hip but she keeps her face blank. "Really, I'm fine. No need to worry silly kitty. Now, go get some sleep. Good night." She smiles reassuringly at him as she struggles to breathe normally. At least her voice is steady now.

He reluctantly steps away, watching her carefully. "My lady… can you call me when you get home? So that I know you made it back okay?" his voice sounds small, frail.

"Of course."

He nods and steps back again before hesitating a moment. Just after he disappears around the corner of the school her miraculous beeps a final time.

And so, she begins her slow and painful walk home. It's not a long walk, though it feels like miles tonight. Climbing to the roof is difficult without her miraculous and the effort of clenching even her fist is painful. After the excruciating climb up the side of the building, she drops onto her bed and lays for a moment in slight relief.

"Tikki, spots on. I have to call him now." A flash of red fills the room and she quickly pulls out her compact to call her partner, knowing that Tikki doesn't have long. "I made it home." She smiles at him brightly.

"Oh, thank god. I was worried something had happened after I left you."

"No, I was just taking my time."

"My lady…" he looks away from the screen for a moment. "I… I'm sorry. Sweet dreams my lady, good night." He says quickly band hangs up before she can reply.

Too tired to push it, she drops her arm and feel the detransformation whirl around her. The clock reads 3:30 as her eyes fall shut and sleep takes her.


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien paces his room restlessly. "I should have followed her. Made sure she's okay." He remembers every gasp of pain, burned into his mind forever. "What if that hit did internal damage? What if she's bleeding internally? What if she has a concussion?!" his questions become frantic.

"Look Adrien, if she says she's okay then she's probably okay. She knows her limitations, Ladybug can take care of herself. It's about time you do the same. You have a test in a few hours and you haven't slept in almost 24 hours. You need to sleep if you want to do anything tomorrow." Plagg tells him, not for the first time.

"How am I supposed to sleep now? You didn't see her! She could barely stand! She probably broke a few ribs, maybe even fractured her hip. She took a hard hit Plagg, I should have done a better job protecting her…" a tear rolls down his cheek slowly.

"Adrien. You did everything you could. She's fine, she just needs some rest. And so do you! Its 5 AM and you need sleep."

Adrien's mind races, scenes of his Lady playing before his mind's eye. The sun rises as he falls into a short and restless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Marinette groans as her alarm goes off. Her eyes flutter open and she takes a deep breath, preparing herself to roll over to hit the snooze button. Her chest constricts in pain when her ribs expand, shooting stars expanding across her vision and razors crisscrossing her torso.

"Ahhhgh!" She immediately rolls back. She barely turned and pain shot through her whole body. Her injuries must be bad, she's usually able to take pain like a champ. Sitting up very slowly, she carefully probes her rib cage. Not too bad, only two broken ribs and maybe a third fractured one.

"Marinette? Take these, they should help with the pain and swelling." Tikki hovers in front of her, a juice box in one arm and a medicine bottle in the other.

"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette smiles at the tiny red fairy and gently takes the items from her. Popping two pills in her mouth, she reflects on the night before.

She had been too distracted. Injuries are common in akuma fights, though she had never been hurt this bad before. She had really freaked Chat out. The panic was clear on his face. Thinking back now, she realizes he may have hurt the poor akumatized victim. She had seen him flying over and she vaguely remembers hearing glass shatter.

He obviously didn't want to leaver either. In all honestly, if he had pushed harder to stay with her she probably would have caved and let him stay. She counts herself lucky that he hadn't followed her home. She finds herself smiling as she thinks of her partner. She's lucky to have him, a partner who respects her decisions no matter what he thinks on the matter. She trusts him with her life. And for good reason, he seems to be willing to risk everything for her.

"Marinette, you need to get ready for school." Tikki gives her a sad, knowing smile.

Marinette slowly but surely makes her way to the bathroom, limping and wincing the whole way. She strips down and checks herself in the mirror. The only visible bruise with clothes on is a small bruise on her jaw, easily covered with makeup. The bruises on her torso, however, will be a bit harder to hide. One such bruise extends from just below her collarbone all the way down to her knee, covering her entire right side. The other bruise fills the space between her left hip and armpit, a reminder of the net the akuma had been using. Her whole torso is a mass of dark blue and purple.

She can't tell which side is worse. The hit from the akuma had broken her ribs but the impact with the car had done major damage to her entire right side. She can move her arms with relatively little pain but her right hips is in constant pain and makes walking difficult.

She grumbles to herself as she quickly and clumsily cleans herself. Calling it good enough, she stumbles around her room preparing for the long day ahead.

She realizes, as she marches toward school, that acting normal can be very difficult when literally everything you do hurts. Even breathing is painful. She muddles through her day, doing her best to keep from moving too much or too suddenly.

It's not until her final class that she finally pays attention to anyone else. The room is abuzz as her classmates prepare for exam that's about to start. She can't shut out the world anymore. She slowly puts her things away, doing everything she can to keep her gasps of pain from being noticed.

"Umm… Marinette? Are you okay?"

She stops moving completely when she hears Adrien's concerned voice. Slowly she raises her head to see him watching her from the seat below. He looks completely exhausted.

"I… Um, I'm fine." She fakes her normal smile, which also seems to hurt somehow.

"Are you sure? You've been really quiet today and you keep saying 'ow' whenever you think no one is paying attention."

Is she really that transparent? She shakes her head slightly. "I'm fine. I just worked myself a bit too hard this morning. I was helping move some bags around in the bakery and I guess I pulled a muscle or something." She smiles down at the beautiful boy, feeling guilty for lying to him so easily.

He watches her for a moment before nodding to himself. She watches his green eyes flutter shut and his head start to dip. He jerks upright, eyes wide open and staring at her but obviously not seeing her.

The room quiets as the teacher enters the room and both teens turn their attention to the front of the room.

"Alright class. I hope you're all ready for this exam. You will have the whole class to finish it. You are allowed two sheets of scrap paper and a calculator. Please use pencil. Good luck."

The papers are passed back and soon the only notice is the scribble of pencils on paper and the random clicks of calculators.

Suddenly, a soft thump reverberates through the room.

Lifting her head to find the source of the noise, Marinette sees Adrien with his head laid on the desk. He passed out. She glances around to find that no one else had seen. Or at least no one else reacted to him falling asleep.

"Uh…. Umm, Madame Mendeleiev, I think Adrien fell asleep." Marinette raises her hand and points to the blond head snoring on the desk below her.

"Oh. Adrien?" the teacher makes her way to his desk and gently shakes him. All he does is snort and begin to snore quieter. "Adrien?" she shakes him harder, to no avail.

"Yeah, I don't think he's gonna wake up." Nino tells her and pokes his friend in the face with his pencil. Adrien's face twitches but he continues to sleep.

The teacher keeps trying and he keeps snoring gently. After a few minutes, she gives up. "I hate to say it but I don't think he's gonna pass this exam."

Even though she is concerned, Marinette has to concentrate on her test. There isn't much she can do to help and she needs to pass. Her grade in this class is suffering enough as it is.

An hour and a half later the test is over and Nino rolls his friends head off the test to turn it in for him. Marinette gets a glimpse as Nino hands it over. He only answered the first six questions. He definitely failed.

The room quickly clears as Marinette slowly gathers her things. Before she knows it, it's only her and the sleeping Adrien in the room. Alya had told her something rushed about needing to finish a story for the Ladyblog before sprinting from the room, followed closely by Nino. She shakes her head as she makes her way down to the sleeping boy and takes Nino's recently vacated seat. Watching his quietly, she reaches out and gently brushes his hair to the side.

A hand shoots up and grips her wrist as green eyes pop open. Covering for her surprise, she smiles at him gently. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"

His grip on her wrist lessens as he calms down. The crazed look in his eyes fades as he takes in his surroundings. "I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" he whips up and carefully releases her wrist.

She hides her grimace as she caresses the tender joint. "No, you didn't hurt me. Are you okay? You were really out of it. You looked a bit upset when you woke up."

"I'm fine, it was just a bad dream. Ummm… where is everyone?" he glances around the room in confusion.

"Oh, yeah… Umm… Class is over. Its free period now…"

"Over…" he murmurs to himself. "Wait, free period? What about the test?" his brow furrows, then his entire face relaxes. "I slept through the test, didn't I?"

She looks away from his blank stare, guilt filling her to her core. "Yeah…" she sighs. Why does she feel so guilty? Pity, sure. Pity would make sense. But guilt? Maybe because he helped her so much when studying and then he failed when she couldn't help.

"That sounds just about right." He nods and stares off at nothing.

"I'm sorry Adrien."

"Why? You're not the one that fell asleep. And it's not your fault I did. I was stupid enough to not get enough sleep. Why would you be sorry?" The look on his face is so sweet and sincere.

"Well… I… I don't know. I'm just sorry."

He smiles at her and leans over to hug her gently. "It's okay Marinette. I'll live. Don't worry about me." He pulls back and looks at her gently. His eyes flicker down and he frowns. "What's that?" he gently brushes his fingers over the bruise below her collarbone.

Crap. Her carefully chosen scarf had fallen when she wasn't paying attention. Panic fills her as concern grows on his face. "O-ohh, that. Ummm… I woke up this morning and it was there." She laughs uncomfortably, pulling the scarf back into place to cover it.

"Marinette, what really happened?" his tone is steely and his eyes search her face. He carefully moves the scarf and pulls her shirt down another inch to see more.

She pulls back, out of his reach. "You want to know the truth?" she asks as she scrambles for an answer. He nods as he watches her carefully.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you… It's a bit embarrassing though…" she hangs her head and looks up at him through her lashes. He still looks concerned. "Well… I was working on a project at home while listening to music and I had to get some stuff from the top of the cabinet in my room. The stuff was heavier than I thought and I was dancing to the music and I kinda… tripped. I missed a step on the ladder and fell… I guess it bruised pretty bad." She feels herself blush, not from embarrassment but from guilt.

"You tripped and fell and it bruised your collarbone?"

"Yeah… the, uh, the stuff I was carrying kind of fell on me…"

He looks at her for a moment, his face uncertain. With a sigh, he shakes his head and smiles at her. "I'm sorry you got hurt. Next time you need help, ask for it. You can always call me. If I can get away when you call, then I'll be more than happy to help."

Happiness fills her chest when she sees the genuine smile on his face. He's so kind, even when every word out of her mouth is a lie. "Thank you. I wouldn't want to bother you though." She mumbles back.

"Oh, so now you're awake!" Nino's voice makes them both jump. Her face burns red when she realizes how close she and Adrien had gotten to each other. They had unconsciously leaned toward each other while they had talked. She leans away while turning toward Nino.

"Yeah, he just woke up a minute ago."

"Dude, I hate to break it to you but you snoozed right through the test. We tried to wake you up but… Sorry man."

"It's alright Nino. I'll be fine. I'll probably just get grounded or something, no big deal." Adrien smiles at his friends and gathers his things. "Now, I'm starving. Let's go get some food. Um, Marinette… Remember what I said. Just call and I'll be there."

She smiles at him and feels her heart skip a beat. "Y-yeah. Thanks Adrien."

He nods and the two boys make their way out of the room. Marinette grins to herself and she slowly stands to follow them, forgetting momentarily that the majority of her body is covered in purple and blue bruises.

Groaning quietly, she limps toward the schools exit. Her hip is worse than she thought and sitting in one position for hours on end must have aggravated the injury. She inches her way along the hallway, trying her best to move her right leg more than a few centimeters at a time. Maybe she fractured her hip bone, or maybe the bones popped out of place a little. She'll have to be careful for the next few days to let it get better.

"Marinette? Are you okay? You look like you're in pain."

She turns to find Alya walking up behind her. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just a bit stiff from sitting still for so long. Those seats aren't exactly comfortable." Laughing innocently, she gauges her friends face carefully.

"I guess so… what took you so long to leave the room?" Alya's eyes sparkle with mischief and a smile spreads across her face.

"Well… I was talking to Adrien…"

"Oh really? About what? How beautiful he is when he's asleep?" Alya asks in a singsong voice.

"No, he woke up as I was leaving. I was just telling him that he slept through the exam. I'm kind of worried about him … He looked upset when he woke up but not about missing the exam. He's not worried about getting into trouble either, it's something else… He looked really worried actually."

"I'm sure it's nothing, probably just something with his next photo shoot. Though I'm surprised he's nor freaking out about the test. It's kind of a big deal." Alya falls into step by Marinette, looking forward as she falls into thought.

The rest of the day passes slowly as Marinette suffers in silence. Even after taking those pain killers repeatedly, she still has trouble moving without gasping in pain. She made her way to the cafeteria to eat some late lunch and watches Adrien trying and mostly failing to stay awake. His head bobs every few seconds as he tries to pay attention to the lecture their teacher was trying to give him about proper sleep schedules and the importance of time management. As if he needs a lecture on that.

Eventually, the bell rings and she heads home for the weekend. Her priority as soon as she gets home is to sleep. She feels her head swim in exhaustion as she climbs the stairs to her room. She's a sleep the moment her head hits the pillow. She dreams of blond boys and green eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Adrien sits at the table pushing his food around his plate as he waits for his father to get home. He had gotten back from school to find Nathalie waiting at the door. She had received a call from the school telling her about his failed exam. There was no way for him to make it up. Apparently, grades were due Monday and there wasn't enough time to create a makeup.

According to Nathalie, his father was 'displeased'. He's pissed. And he should be home any moment. Adrien dislikes talking to his father in general, let alone when he's messed up multiple times in such a short time.

The dining room door swings shut with a soft click, but you would think his father had slammed the door by the way Adrien jumps. The sound footsteps are drowned out by the clock striking ten, making his father's approach seem so much more ominous.

"Adrien."

"Father." Adrien continues to stare at his uneaten food.

"How is your schedule lately?" Gabriel drops into a seat by his son.

Adrien's eyes switch to his father's face, thoroughly confused. "My schedule is fine father."

"Hmmmm. So then tell me, why were you sleeping in class today? Are you unwell?" Gabriel's eyebrows knit together in mock concern, his eyes still hard and cold.

"N-no father. I am feeling fine. I just haven't been getting enough sleep lately."

"Obviously. I may not look it now, but I am not happy." Gabriel states dryly as he stands and begins to pace the room behind his son.

Adrien stands and turns toward his father. "I'm sorry father. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I've been studying very hard for this test over the past couple days and I am very upset with myself for having missed it. I messed u- "

Adrien's head snaps back with the force of the blow, tears rapidly rolling down his face from the unexpected slap. He stumbles back into the table as he raises his hand to his stinging cheek.

"Messed up? Messed up?! You're ruining your education!" his father's yell echoes around the room.

"Fa-father, it's only one test. No need to get… upset."

Gabriel's eyes bulge at the unspoken word. _Physical._ "One test is where it begins. I know what's going on with you. You've been rebelling all week. First you missed that photoshoot, then the debacle at that girl's house, now this? Do I not give you everything you need? How can you be so ungrateful?" he hisses in Adrien's face.

Ungrateful? Ungrateful for what? An emotionally distant father who treats him more as an object than as a son? For being forced into a career he doesn't want? For being so uncomfortable in his own skin that it's a relief when he turns into Chat Noir when an akuma shows up to try to kill him? No, he isn't ungrateful. There's simply nothing to be grateful for.

"I'm sorry father. It won't happen again." Adrien stares at his feet, his mind racing as he tries to keep his face calm.

"Sorry? You think that makes me feel better? Perhaps going to school is too much for you. Perhaps you should go back to private tutoring."

"No!" Adrien cries. "No father. I'll do better! I'll talk to my teacher and do extra credit. Please, let me stay in school. I swear I'll do better."

Gabriel glares down at his son, face bored again. "Fine. You get one more change. But if you go against me again, do anything wrong, and you'll go back to tutoring immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes father. Thank you." Adrien replies softly as he edges around the table, trying to escape his father's reach. He feels eyes on him as he hurries from the room, pulling the door shut with a soft click.

He runs to his room, the need to get away is almost too much to bare. "Plagg, claws out!" he yells as eh closes his bedroom door. Seconds later he is running across the rooftops of Paris.

His entire existence becomes the wind on his face, the pounding of his feet as he jumps from building to building. He doesn't know how long he's been running when he finally comes to a stop. His breath calms as his thoughts begin to circle again.

His father had hit him. Actually, physically hit him. And he hadn't apologized. Is he just going to pretend it hadn't happened? Is Adrien going to let him? Chat shakes his head to try to dislodge the thoughts filling his head. He doesn't want to think about this right now.

"Chat?" a soft voice calls from behind him.

He spins around to find Marinette standing there. Her hair is down and slightly wet and she is wearing a set of pink cotton pajamas. She must be fresh out of the shower.

"Hello princess."

"Ummm… what are you doing here?" she looks up at him with concern in her blue eyes.

"I was just out for a quick stroll." He smiles as he step0s forward, reaching out to touch the end of her damp hair. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I've been enjoying the view." She gestures to the city behind him. "Are you okay? Normally you would have known I was here… is everything alright?"

"Everything is…" he looks down at her and finds himself incapable of lying to her. "Everything is not alright. I just got into a bit of trouble with my… family."

Her eyes soften as she reaches up to touch his cheek, trying to comfort him. He flinches a bit when her fingers brush over his still aching cheek and she snaps her hand back.

"What happened to your cheek?" he looks away as she asks. He doesn't want to see the look in her eyes. Concern and pity. His princess is too kind. After a moment of silence, she gives up and takes his hand, leading him to the small table in the corner of the balcony.

"Come, sit." She carefully settles into one of the chairs, wincing slightly.

"Are you okay princess?"

"I'm fine Chat. Just a bit sore, don't worry about it."

Maybe she still hasn't recovered from earlier that morning. She pulled a muscle, or maybe it's from that fall. Either way, she still seems to be in pain. "How can I not worry?" he grumbles, mostly to himself, as he drops to the floor in front of her.

"You don't want to sit like a normal person? You are such a silly kitty." Her wonderful laughter fills his ears and calms his heart. Apparently, a dose of Marinette is just what he needed.

"You know it _purrincess_. I am a _chat_ through-and-through."

"Ugh, your puns are terrible."

They sit in companionable silence for a few minutes as he relaxes, his head resting lightly against her thigh. His mind starts up again as the silence stretches. He is so lost in thought that it takes a moment for him to recognize the gently tugging feeling in his hair, the gently scratching on his scalp. It feels good.

"So… why are you here? Like, on my balcony?"

His eyes snap open to find her looking down at him. Her balcony… is that where they are. It would make sense, why would she be anywhere else at 11 at night? So then… had he ended up there by chance or was it unconscious? On some level, does he know that she will make him feel better?

"I'm… not sure to be honest. I was running for a while, then I stopped. I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going or where I ended up. Maybe its fate." He grins up at her, feeling her stiffen behind him.

"Fate…?" she mumbles.

He watches her for a moment, her thoughts far away. She's looking up to the sky and making funny faces. She's obviously struggling with something. "Princess?"

"Hmmmm?"

"You look conflicted."

"Do I? it's nothing… don't worry." She shakes her head.

"You know, if you want to talk about something… I'm here. I won't tell anyone, cats honor."

She looks down at him in surprise. "Really? Well… if I tell you what's on my mind will you tell me what's on yours?"

"I… I suppose I could tell you a little bit… It'll be light on details though, secret identity and all."

"I understand." She giggles. "Alrighty then. Today… today we had our end of quarter exam in one of my classes at school. Grades are supposed to be in by Monday and a friend of mine… Adrien… he didn't get to take it. He fell asleep and didn't get to finish… Now he's in trouble. The school had to call his father and I'm… worried. His father is kind of strict and Adrien is already in trouble because of me… I don't know how I can help him."

She worried about him. The thought gives him butterflies. That means she's thinking about him. She's really a good… friend? Looking up at her now he thinks, maybe she could be more than a friend. His chest constricts deliciously at the idea. But that isn't possible. He loves Ladybug… Right?

"Well, if you want to help him then you should talk to him. I'm sure he would be happy to hear you care. You do care for him, don't you?" What is he saying?! Why is he asking her that? And why is he nervous?

"Of course I care. How could I not? He's my friend… I care about him a lot…" her voice fades, her last words barely even audible to him. Of course, they're just friends. But the sudden hollow feeling in his chest…

"Alright. I'm done. It's your turn. What's on your mind tonight? Her voice is full of forced cheerfulness.

"My turn huh?" he sighs, turning his eyes to the sky. "Well… I broke the rules today and got in trouble with my fa-… family. We got into it and h- they yelled. A lot. I tried to apologize but it's no use. I messed up. So, they punished me." He finishes quietly, gently touching his now bruising cheek.

"What do you mean 'punished'?" she asks quietly, voice hard.

"It's no matter princess. I deserved the punishment I got. Don't worry yourself." He smiles up at her and finds her angry. Very angry.

"Answer my question Chat."

"It's nothing princess. I only got threatened to be pulled out of… and activity I enjoy. Something I can't stand to lose."

"So, then this…?" she brushes her fingers along his jaw, being careful to avoid the now visible bruise.

"Is nothing to worry yourself over." He finishes for her.

She looks skeptical and concerned but says nothing. He grins at her until her expression softens and her fingers dig into his hair again.

They sit in silence for a long time, simply comforted by each other's presence. Eventually the gentle scratching slows to a stop.

"Marinette?" he asks as he turns to look up at her. She's asleep. Her head is lulled to the side and her breathing is slow, a small smile on her slightly parted lips. It's one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen.

"Marinette? Are you asleep?"

No answer. After watching her for a moment he turns and carefully lifts her. She makes a small pained noise but stays asleep as he makes his way into her bedroom below

"Adrie… mmmhm…" she mumbles in her sleep.

Even in her dreams she is worried about him. Covering her in a blanket, he can't resist the temptation to kiss her. Although, to keep it chaste, he turns at the last second to kiss her forehead.

With her properly seen to, he turns off her lights and makes his way home. Calmer and surprisingly happy, he climbs into bed and dreams of his wonderful princess.


End file.
